New Magick
by Moonfire Vaia
Summary: When two girls are taken from their world and shoved into one of fantasy and mystery, adventure is sure. Add a few ghosts, an evil sorcerer or two and a side tale of true love and finding ones place, it will be nothing short of life altering.
1. A Daily Ride

**New Magick**  
_By: Toni Thiel (Moonfire) & Samantha Schacht (Vaia Nyera)  
  
_**Chapter 1: A Daily Ride**

The day was bright and promising when the two girls set out for their ride through the woods. The skies were a clear, sparkling aqua and the precious light of the sun was only shadowed by the passing trees, who were just budding with waxy, green leaves.  
The seemingly younger of the two followed in her partner's wake, the gray dappled mare she was given earlier trotting playfully about, giving no regard to her rider's inexperience. The girl muttered gently at the mare's ears, somewhat amused as they cocked backward at her in reply.  
The "elder" of the two flowed flawlessly with the almost pure white horse she was riding, admiring the ancient beauty of the woods. She stared in silence at the perfection of the beautiful flowers growing in the small patches of sunlight as they trotted down the path. It was her who broke the light and airy silence between them.  
"Look there, Sophi." She gestured to the side of the path, along a bed of flowers. "Look at those snowdrops. I've never seen them here in America, before."  
"Mm?" The other blinked and looked to where her friend was pointing. "Where have you seen them before then, Tanja?"  
"Actually, I've never really seen them outside of where I lived in Europe," she responded in the lovely accent that Sophi so adored as she pulled her long, wavy locks of red hair out of the reach of a low-hanging branch.  
Sophi simply passed under the branch, sighing a bit as she looked over her friend's long hair. Another thing she envied of her were her beautifully wavy locks of hair that were colored such a deep shade of red they seemed to be black, that is, if it wasn't for the dark red shine that the light reflected off it.  
Tanja glanced back to Sophi as she passed easily under the branch, an attribute Tanja herself envied Sophi for at times like this. It wasn't always easy being a massive 5 foot 10 inches, compared to the small 5 foot 3 inches that Sophi had. Yet, where Sophi lacked in height she made up in energy, rather unfortunately at times.  
"Hey, look over there!" Tanja called out behind her, slowing her fair-tempered ride to a halt. "There's a break in the trees," she paused and pointed to the side as Sophi brought the semi-unruly mare up beside her, every hair on end.  
"Huh, isn't it usually there?" She responded, giving a poor attempt at lifting a brow. "I mean, clearings don't spring up overnight," she snickered a bit. "That is, unless--let's say, Vanyel has decided not only that he should come to life, but also give up the lovely Forest of Sorrows for tropical Minnesota!" She laughed, yelping once as her mare danced to the side, making her clutch the pommel with white knuckles and red-tipped fingers.  
"Oh, would we be so lucky for such a miracle?" Tanja replied dramatically, putting more flair into her English accent. "We both know there are no heart-stopping beauties like Vanyel here. Not even an attractive man like 'Lendel-Stefen." She sighed in mock-despair at the harsh realization, Sophi following her example. "But, as far as this clearing, I've never seen it from the other side of the river," Tanja concluded, giving her white beauty a slight nudge, a gesture to move toward the clearing. Sophi struggled to follow behind her once again, in a zigzag sort of manner.  
The full light of the noon sun shined down on the deep green grass (which the dappled mare tore at immediately, Sophi clutching the pommel in one hand, the reins in the other as she cursed under her breath). A sparrow trilled loudly across the clearing in some budding young oak's branched; bringing the two out of the trance the lovely surroundings had on them, only to stare, wide-eyed in Sophi's case, into the mouth of a cave.  
"What do you suppose that is?" Sophi murmured, brushing rogue strands of dull, nondescript brown hair out of her eyes. "I mean, besides the fact that it's a cave," she shot a sidelong glance to Tanja, who edged her reluctant ride up near it, the very words of plain patronizm on the tip of her tongue.  
"Well, if you mean 'Where does it lead', your guess is as good as mine is," Tanja half shouted back. "I believe I can see a light on the other side, though," She sat up straight now, throwing her hair behind one shoulder. "This is the only hill around here, all the other land is very flat. No harm in finding out where it goes."  
Tanja's companion grinned and nodded once, "Oh no, of course not."  
"I agree. Come on, the suspense is killing me!" Tanja exclaimed, nudging the horse ahead. "Who knows," she added with a light chuckle. "We might find Firesong or even Vanyel himself on the other side!"  
Sophi struggled along with the dappled mare and giggled in her best girlish manner, "Alright, but I call Firesong!" They both erupted in laughter.


	2. A Tunnel into the Depths.

**Chapter 2: A Tunnel into the Depths**

As short as the cave was supposed to be, it took the two well into 20 minutes or so to reach the other end of the cave. They both became unusually tired and quite dizzy at one point as well and had to stop and rest for a brief moment before moving on, which didn't help things either. Sophi made another attempt at lifting a brow while Tanja simply gave off a look of mild confusion, knowing very well that the cave should have been very short, in accordance to the flat land around the small hill.  
"This is really startin' to scare meh a bit," Sophi muttered, the telltale Minnesotan accent making her cut off the endings of her words. Tanja nodded in agreement, frowning a bit in concentration, knowing far too well that while Sophi almost always had at least decent articulation, her accent hinted only when her nerves were getting the better of her.  
"I agree. Where the heck are we?" Tanja exclaimed as they stepped their mounts into a new clearing. While it seemed normal enough, large, majestic redwood trees surrounded the area, each trunk thick enough for a small band of men to circle.  
The sun remained high in the sky, shining hotly down on the girls as well as the deep green grass. Sophi dismounted unsteadily and took a few steps forward, going down to one knee to examine the grass. The corners of her mouth twitched downward as Tanja now stood beside her. The grass was oddly waxy and shimmered in the sun as if someone had coated them in glittering blue-green sequence.  
"Blue grass?" Sophi stood, looking up to Tanja.  
"Blue-green, more like," she responded shortly. "I've had all the adventure I can bare."  
"Agreed, most definitely!" Sophi quickly turned to mount the testy mare, who was very much enjoying herself at the odd buffet. "Tanja!" She shrieked.  
"Huh?" Tanja turned about to look at a rather pale resemblance of Sophi. "What's wrong n--," she blinked and looked to where the cave was--or should have been. Tanja took striding steps toward a large tree, running a hand across it. "Where did the cave go?"  
"Better question yet, where'd the hill go!? Nothing here but more and more forest now. If I knew that answer, I wouldn't be scared witless right bout now," Sophi responded, reaching a shaking hand out to the dappled mare.  
"Ladies, do not fear, I mean you no harm," spoke a new voice, speaking lightly accented to them from behind. Sophi spun around on her heal quickly to face the voice with a frightened stance of defense. Tanja took a bit longer to turn about, her reflexes not as honed as Sophi's.  
And there the owner of the voice stood: a vague, shimmering figure of a man with long white hair and shockingly silver eyes. He wore an expression of faint amusement as his eyes flickered between the two. His clothing was heavenly white, from tunic to boots, making him seem immaculately clean.  
"Who are you?! What do you want from us?!" Tanja cried at the figure.  
The strangers smile grew until his eyes sparkled at them. "I'm almost surprised at that question. As for who I am, dear lady, you would know me as Vanyel Ashkevron," Vanyel bowed gracefully. "I am here to lead you on your path to destiny."  
"Van, that wasn't very nice of you, scaring them like that." Another voice sounded out as a beam of light fell down beside Vanyel and another shimmering figure materialized beside him. "For shame! You're supposed to help them, not scare them witless," he chuckled softly.  
After scolding Vanyel he turned to look at them. His kind face was formed into a smile, forever patient was his look, even though it made Sophi's eyes water when his form kept wavering between a man with curled, light hair and a gray outfit to a man with fire-like hair and a crimson robe to match.  
"You know what," Tanja whispered to her friend. "I think they're telling the truth. They must be Vanyel and 'Lendel-Stefen," she made a gesture behind the two. "And that must be Yfandes behind them, also."  
"For our sake, I hope you're right." Sophi replied doubtfully as she looked past the two in front of them to stare at an odd image that seemed to be split on deciding if it wanted to be a woman or a horse. She shook her head with mild dizziness as a light whicker came from the figure, sounding much too much like a chuckle.  
"She is, and just for reference, call me Stefen. I haven't been 'Lendel in a long time," Stefen smiled warmly to them as they nodded slowly.  
"Come now, sit and we will explain everything," Vanyel told them, a gesture of his hand and a charming smile persuaded them to do just that.  
* * *  
"So, let me get this straight," Sophi finally spoke once Vanyel stopped speaking. She rubbed her forehead lightly with one hand, gathering her wits back about herself. "Not only are the books from the Heralds of Valdemar series documenting real events that have happened, but the people in them are real as well, along with what they've done. Yet to top it all off, you want us to believe that we are truly in the Forest of Sorrows and you're here to send us off to Haven to, and I'm going to quote you on this, 'make of ourselves what we will'?" She threw her hands up in despair. "Why not just tell us the world is flat and that the moon is made of Swiss cheese?"  
"I believe them." Tanja murmured slowly, blinking once before turning to face Sophi, who stared at in her disbelief. "What reason do they have to lie? Furthermore, how could it not be true?" A small smile creped across her lips as she spoke. "Haven! Think of it. The Collegiums, Companion's Field, the gardens," she paused and stated again, dreamily now. "Companion's Field, with live Companions! I'd give and arm to be allowed to just get close to them, even if it meant at the cost of having to clean stables and tack until my hands fell off." She wasn't just stating things now, she was pleading for her friend to believe and agree, and she was very well aware of that fact.  
Sophi paused and looked from Stefen, to Vanyel, to 'Fandes and then back to Tanja. She sighed and shook her head lowly.  
"Like I'm going to let you get all the attention, and by 'attention' we both know I mean 'strapping young men'. Someone has to keep an eye on you and make sure you stay on the straight and narrow." She smiled as Tanja clapped her hands together, relieved that she wouldn't be going alone.  
"Wonderful," Vanyel spoke up finally. "Now your duty is to travel south from these woods, straight to Haven. With these two horses it should take you about, mm, I'd say about two, maybe three fortnights, weather permitting of course." He turned slightly to gesture down a small road--rather, a path, that cut into the thick grass.  
"Oh! Also, before we forget to tell you, don't dare worry about your Outworlder lives," Stefen continued as Vanyel turned halfway from them, 'Fandes already walking back into the shelter of the woods. "They have been taken care of. You'll have more immediate things to think of soon." At that kind word, Stefen offered up a smile to them both, which they readily returned. He nodded and turned about to follow after Vanyel, who nodded to the girls before taking Stefen by the hand gingerly and following after the light sound of 'Fandes' hooves against the soft grass.  
Tanja sighed softly as they went out of view, looking to Sophi with a sidewise glance. "Are you ready?"  
Sophi smiled slowly, still looking off into the woods. "As I'll ever be," she responded before taking to her mare. "How difficult could it be, anyhow?" She smiled wryly to her compatriot.


	3. And it Begins...

**Chapter 3: And it Begins...**

"For the love of all things people consider holy!" Sophi groaned. "Kill me please, I beg of you." They had been riding all day long for almost a week now, most of the time only taking time enough to hunt down an inn and sleep. Sophi groaned again as she lurched into the saddle for the millionth time, so it seemed, taking great care of her aching thighs and end.  
"Gods-Forsaken horses...damned saddles...damned horses and their damned saddles...damned slow horses and their damned saddles," Sophi muttered like that most of the day under her breath, really disliking this 'adventure' more and more by the moment.  
The second they ran into the first town, they attracted odd looks and pointing. One small boy even ran up to Tanja's horse at such a great speed the damn thing danced straight into the dappled mare, spooking her enough to make her bolt, with Sophi still in saddle.   
She muttered to herself once again, remembering that she somehow had ended up in a horse trough, a good portion of her shirt torn from the bottom, obviously caught on the pommel in some odd way.  
Her shirt, that was another reason for the pointing, their attire didn't exactly fit with their surroundings. While most girls their age who weren't in the fields wore multilayered skirts and tunic-like tops, they were in dark, denim jeans, Sophi in her once white sneakers and closely fitting three-quarter sleave shirts, Tanja in her tall, square-toed boots and short sleeved shirt.   
Even if that wasn't a problem, the cuts and colors were so very outlandish compared to these peoples' clothes. Most were in earthy colors, or faded at the least with yellows, browns, tans and every so often a green or something. The only exception to these rules were the merchants, who's cuts were still so very different from the commonplace 'jeans and a tee' from their world. It was very difficult all-in-all to fit into a place with fabrics and cuts not usually worn or seen about.  
"I think we're going to have to get new clothing soon," Tanja noted as she clambered up into the saddle, just baout reading Sophi's mind as she winced slightly. "I feel filthy down to the bone." She groaned slightly, her horse snorting once, tweaking an ear back.  
"One problem, while we have been getting makeshift baths at these places enough to keep us from insulting anyone, we don't exactly have the money to get new clothing," Sophi responded as she thunked her mare between the ears for dancing. "We aren't exactly rich, or even well-off for that matter."  
"Well, I know that, but someone is watching out for us," Tanja stated the obvious, speaking about the coins they found in their posession every evening when they found an inn. "Maybe if they realize that we nead clothing as well as food and shelter, whoever they are will allow us a few more silver or copper."  
"Hopefully, but not likely," Sophi grimmaced as she got an immence itch on the back of her head. "Getting a true and decent bath with hot water and actual soap would be a treat as well. What I wouldn't pay for decent soap, and a decent bed, and clothing that didn't smell and some actual food," she groaned as they began out. "And my car, even a bike would do."  
Tanja chuckled lightly at her companion, laughing at the expression on her thin and tanned face. "Yes, well, you knew what you were getting yourself into, it's not as if we haven't studdied these people's entire history. If you think about it, we have an advantage since we know the facts, other than those stories and songs that they have left," Tanja pulled her hair back into a ponytail, holding her mare tightly with her legs, but not immune to the same pains Sophi had fallen victim to.   
"I mean, not even the _khree _history tales can be completely accurate, neither can the gryphons'. Who knows if they've even found the lost tribe yet, even. We are most deffinately at an advantage," Tanja nodded again sternly.  
"Point taken, I suppose," Sophi replied thoughtfully. "Who else had a front seat to the creation of the Dhorisha Plains and Lake Evendim? That and we had personal access to people's thoughts, the very people who shaped this place," she took a moment to sigh and rub the back of her aching neck. "Now only if we could hijack a floating barge or something!" She looked over to Tanja, who was moving thoughtlessly with her mare and grinned at her.  
"But like you said, we don't even know if they've found the lost tribe yet, and they are they ones who have the floating barges," Tanja smiled and shook a finger at her in reminder.  
Sophi nodded and rolled her eyes. "Details, details."  
Tanja nodded and sighed, lowering her head and closing her as as the mare walked on.   
Sophi looked to her again and frowned. Now that she thought about it, Tanja did look a bit rough around the edges this morning. Maybe I'm not the only one feeling the massive pain and inconveniance this trip is bringing on.  
  
Tanja bowed her head in hopes to catch a light drowsy rest before the next town, hoping to the goddess that she didn't look a dead as Sophi. When she had found her friend saddling up this morning, her eyes were deeply shadowed and her tanned skin was pale across her cheeks. To put it simply, she looked as if Ma'ar himself had dragged her thought all 9 hells in her sleep.  
She opened her eyes to give Sophi a sidelong glance, finding that not only was she looking as ghostly as before, but she was staring straight back at Tanja. She smiled faintly and looked back to her mare's ears, knowing that neither of them were really in a chatty mood.  
They traveled silently for a good few hours, until the sun shown high and Tanja began to ache horribly, which probably meant Sophi's pains had begun hours ago. A quick glance to her partner's face verified the thought, her eyes were focussed intensly on her mare's ears, she had given up fighting and simply rode along wordlessly.  
Tanja gave a long awaited sigh and nodded over to the side of the road when Sophi looked up in mild startlement.  
"Lunch?" Sophi spoke up shortly, her voice dull, all her energy worn through.  
Nod.  
"Good!" Sophi quickly pulled the mare to the side of the road and groaned softly as she dismounted, the look on her face plainly told how much she wanted to kick the horse in the tail end. "I feel like a duck," she laughed a little as she waddled around. "Quack, quack, eh?" She grinned to Tanja and took the bit of food they had bought that morning out from her bag, strapped down behind her saddle.  
Tanja snickered a little and tethered her mare to a tree, taking a bowl-like structure from her pack and filling it with water from her canteen. "You suppose we'll be to Haven soon?" She asked over her shoulder as she wiped down her mare with a rag they had 'borrowed' from a stable boy at the first town.  
"I hope so!" Came the response as Sophi now tended to her own mare in the same fassion. "I don't think I could take much more of this to be honest," she snickered a little. "I don't travel well, especially on animal-back."   
The mare snorted and lipped at her sleave at that moment. Tanja laughed slightly, pouring on what she liked to call the prim and proper act. She folded her hands together and spoke up in her sweetest voice as if she were talking to a child.   
"Oh, but she loves you! She's giving you little love nibbles." She fluttered her lashes at Sophi, who in return stuck the tip of her tongue out at her and made a face. Tanja laughed again, finding it felt nice to be able to laugh a bit.  
_ The only way this could be any better would be if Haven was just over that ridge up there._ She paused a moment with the rag, looking off into the distance to focus on the top of a near hill.  
As if it was summoned by that very thought, a figure appeared against the deep blue sky, pausing at the top of the hill a moment to take advantage of a nearby trees shade. The sunlight shimmered agianst the figure's snow white body, creating a halo around the figure as brilliant as the ground after a new snow fall.   
It pranced about in a circle, tossing its mane once so it floated freely in the light breeze like fine strands of the purest silk. Each strand of silk was caught by the sun and illuminated them, making them reflect the sun like a spider's web would in the new morning, spotting the ground with streaks of light. As it spun about, the long tail glided about its body like a ribbon of the same fine silk, and it fanned out like a veil would, almost masking part of the white, velvet hide. A silver ringing sounded off in Tanja's ears, as clear and crisp as any fine silver bell would, with every step from the creature's hooves.  
At last it paused and looked down into the valley, brilliant sapphire eyes sparkled as they watched a moment or two. The sun picked up on the magnificant detail of the eyes as they looked back and fourth between the two of them, then landing to stay on Tanja.  
The sun shining down onto the figure, the beautiful blue sky behind it and the scents of spring flowers engulfed all of Tanja's sences, making time stop a bare moment as the wind played through the Companions mane. A light whispering was head in the depths of her mind as they Companion glided evenly down from its pedistal on top of the hill and stood right in front of Tanja. She took in a quick breath, staring deeply into the Companion's sapphire eyes.  
_ ::You, I Choose you, finally.:_: A surprisingly serene voice drifted into her mind, then her entire world seemed to shift as an overwhelming feeling of partnership and compassion washed across her tired and aching body.  
Tanja threw her arms around the Companion's neck, laying her cheek against the silky hide. Her eyes closed tightly as she mannaged to whisper faintly, in a breath of relief, "Anaya."  
Anaya nodded once in response, pawing at the grass with one of her silver hooves. ::I believe your friend is waiting.:: The same lovely voice drifted through her mind, she paused a moment.  
_ But if she's still talking to me, that means--.   
::That's right, you have the gift of mindspeech.::_ Anaya sent back, picking up on her thoughts._ ::I think your friend is waiting.::_ Tanja smiled a bit and tore herself from the death-grip she had on Anaya's neck.  
And there she stood, all five feet, three inches of herself twisted into a form of over-smugness. Sophi had leaned herself up against a tree, her arms crossed and one leg cocked at the knee so her foot rested against the tree.   
Tanja smiled a bit guiltily as she recognized the ghost of a smile across her friend's lips, the half-closed eyes and the fact her head was slightly tilted forward so long locks of hair fell over one cheek.  
"If you think, for one moment, that this means I'm going to give you any less grief, you are most definately mistaken, Pre-Herald Tanja." She cocked a cinicle brow perfectly this time, giving off a flawless vibe that plainly stated 'Look what you've done, you should be ashamed'.  
Of course, an act was all it was as Sophi pushed off the tree, her expression shattered as her openly infectious grin crossed her lips. Tanja came back to herself, realizing she was now slightly blushing from the feel of it, she laughed a bit_.  
_ "No time to be jealous, just because you're just an everyday Outworlder, and I'm Chosen," Tanja replied acidly, picking on her friend as Anaya snorted and picked her head up, gallently.  
"Oh! And Outworlders are so very common, I'm sure!" Sophi laughed, shaking her head. "No thank you, I'd be perfectly happy at the Bardic Collegium, or even at a vale with my Hawkbrother at my side and my weapon of choice in my hand," she nodded once in a matter-of-factly way before looking to Tanja's almost white horse--which now looked like a dirty gray, lined up against Anaya.  
"What you mean is that you'd be happy being pampered by beautiful and exotic men as you bathe in hot pools in tropical vales, occationally throwing a knife or humming a tune to keep them in awe and satisfied," Tanja translated dryly, grinning.   
Sophi made another face at her, but this one was of complete, wide-eyed innocents. Tanja grimiced and took a step back, watching as Sophi's deep brown eyes softened and stared at her in naive innocents."Who...me? Why I would never--"  
Tanja laughed loudly, cutting her off in the midst of her act. "Oh stop that! It's sickening!" She laughed even harder as Sophi dropped her act suddenly and laughed along with her, Anaya whickered along as well.  
"And no, that's not what I meant, but it is a lovely plus," Sophi grinned, her eyes sparkling with mischief as she gave Tanja a very slow and deliberate wink.  
At that bit of information, Tanja replied by throwning her hands up in exasperation and sighed, deciding to go about to find Anaya something to eat before Sophi launched herself into another one of her--interesting characters.


	4. The Stone, The 'Horse' and The Chosen.

**Chapter 4: The Stone, The 'Horse' and the Chosen.**

"I can't decide whether to curse whoever is giving us the coins, or praise them," Sophi muttered under her breath as she found the same amount of coin in the saddle bages.  
"Either way, it isn't going to help any," Tanja responded quickly, brushing Anaya with a curry comb.  
For the past week they had been traveling with Anaya, living in and out of Waystations and inns, finding no extra money for clothing what-so-ever. On the showing of Anaya they had sold off Sophi's ill-tempered dappled mare, settling for Anaya and the almost white mare, now dubbed 'Ol' Iron Sides', thanks to her appearance compared to the Companion.  
From what they knew about the money here, they sported a fair price for the ill-tempered animal. Sophi was simply overjoyed to find that they had enough silver now to buy a set of breeches, a shirt and a tunic for each of them so they didn't have to ride about in filthy Outworlder clothing. Even thought they now had to be careful with spendings.  
Although, Sophi had persuaded Tanja to let her buy two tight-knitted cloaks, presumably waterproof. But what was concidered waterproof here meant that you would only get damp, so it wasn't truely waterproof. The fact that they had served no purpose at all so far did not help with the glances Tanja gave off, each one saying 'I told you so'.  
"I wish it would help," muttered Sophi as she rummaged through the saddlebags for the map. "Where the hell are we? We would've been better off bringing a map from the Mage Wars at this rate," she grumbled, trying to find their place on the poorly-treated map.  
Tanja sighed and rolled up her sleaves, setting down the comb and walking to the map. She paused for a moment and then pointed to a small thin line on the map.  
"There, about half day from Haven," her fingers walked to the large blue dot in the right of the map. "Should be in view of it shortly." She glanced to Sophi, who rubbed the back of her neck, staring blankly at the map.  
"Eh, whatever you say," she shrugged, rolling the map up and stuffing it into her saddlebag. "You're the Herald, afterall."  
"And don't you forget it," Tanja responded quickly with a slight chuckle, turning back to Anaya, who lipped tenderly at one of her sleaves.  
Sophi shook her head and looked to the gray mare, gently patting her neck. Hopefully we'll be in Haven soon, I don't know how much longer I can stand without some actual food and a bed. She sighed and slowly glanced around at the current settings.  
It was somewhat chilly for spring, she thought, but of course she wasn't used to the climate here. Birds sang cheerfully to their newborn hatchlings as they fed, thin squirrels were feeding on fresh-fallen nuts on the ground as a back of wolves were heard playing and what-not beyond the curtain of trees along the road.  
They had passed the last town about two days ago, running into little farms and holds every-so-often. They no longer attracted warry staring, but now they lived in and out of Waystations. Odd thing was, now that they were sleeping in Waystations, the coins were fewer and fewer and sometimes didn't appear at all. Whatever was giving them these coins didn't want their trip to be that easy, obviously.  
She let out a deep breath, realizing that she had been holding it. A calm wind played through her hair, making the long locks fall over her right eye. She turned now to look at Tanja, leaning her arm aginst the mare.  
"I'm not hungry," She now said quickly. "Maybe we should push on until we reach Haven."  
"You'll regret it later on," Tanja responded shortly, now feeding Anaya. "You can go hungry if you like, but I'm going to grab something to eat." At that, Tanja went about her business again, not once looking Sophi's dirrection.  
Sophi wrinkled her nose slightly, thinking that there had been an air of annoyance in her friend's response. She simply nodded and tethered the mare to a tree, looking off into the distance a moment or two.  
"I'm going to walk a bit," she said shortly and went off down the road before Tanja could respond, if she did say anything, Sophi didn't hear it.  
The sun had slipped behind a cloud in the cloudless sky as Sophi walked her way down the road. A rock had crossed her path a while back and she kicked it along with her, staring at the ground rather than where she was going. She figured if anyone was comming up the road, she would hear them in time to get herself and the stone out of the way.  
She was apparently very wrong. They next thing she knew, she kicked the worn rock down the path, watched after it a ways as it ran straight into a silver hoof, skipped up and ran up a silky white leg before thudding lifelessly to the ground.  
"Oh, no," a small gasp escaped Sohpi's lips as she prepared to appologize to a rather upset Herald and Companion.  
As her eyes jumped up to the back of the Companion, she blinked, finding the saddle empty. _Great, I hit a Companion who's going out to Choose. Worse than I thought. _She cringed mentally and prepared to grovel and stumble appologies to the 'horse'.  
The Companion scraped a hoof on the road and kicked the stone so it flung back at Sophi, hitting and riquishaying off her shoe. She blinked and looked up to the Companion, her mouth slightly agape.  
Her first mistake was hitting the Companion, her second was looking straight into it's deep sapphire eyes. She was immediately swept up in the intelligence and over all lovliness of those eyes and the bright shimmer that came from its coat that she lost all words.  
_::Do you bluggen all Companions with stones, Chosen?:: _A deep and humor-filled voice reached her mind as the Companion whickered softly, bobbing it's head lowly to lip her shoulder.  
_Chosen!? Oh dear. _She took a step back, holding her hands up in protest.   
"Oh no! We already have one Pre-Herald around here, we don't need two in Grays! You have made a mistake, I don't even like horses!" Sophi stammered out quickly.  
He snorted in response and tossed his head. _::We don't make mistakes, Chosen. And since when are Companions horses? You were meant to be a Herald.::_  
Sophi groaned and melted into a crosslegged possition on the ground, setting her head in her hands. She sat a while, her head spinning in circles and sat up straightly again, looking dirrectly to the Companion, who was waiting patiently in front of her.  
"Well," she began slowly, running a hand through her hair. "If you're going to follow us around like a lost puppy, we might as well know your name."  
The Companion whickered and nodded. :_:Ezra is my name.::_ He replied simply, taking a step towards her, offering a large stone beside him as a stepping stone.  
"Ezra?" She wrinkled her nose as she gripped the pommel, trying to climb into the saddle. "Sounds like a girls' name."  
Ezra snorted and side stepped once, dragging her off the rock and onto the ground, catching her foot in a stirup.  
"Oof, ok ok!" Sophi yelped at him from her laying place. "Appologies, sheesh!"  
_::Serves you. Besides, what kind of name is 'Solphin', anyway?:: _Ezra stomped a foot, bobbing his head once as Sophi untangled her foot.  
She blushed and cleared her throat. "It's a family name, thats what kind of name it is. People call me Sophi, and that's a girls' name, thats what kind of name it is," her foot fell lifelessly to the ground as she untangled it. She stood and brushed herself off. "How far is it from Haven anyhow?" She looked up to Ezra as he lined himself up with the stepping stone again.  
_::On Companion's back, you'll be there before dinner.::_  
"You were lucky we were so near by, you might've actually had to travel, otherwise!" Sophi teased gently, making sure she was in the saddle before saying so.  
In response, Ezra jolted forward, then back again, making her bones ache and teeth rattle. As she groaned, she heard a light whickering from the Companion.  
_Very funny,_ she thought sharply at the pair of white ears in front of her, figuring to try out some mindspeech.  
_::I thought it was.:: _The good-humored response came shortly afterward.  
Sophi gave a small chuckle, then sighed, the same thought that had been going off in her mind returned: _Tanja is going to have a cat._  
  
Tanja was lounging peacefully in the sunlight, leaning back on Anaya, who was laying down in a patch of deep green grass. She watched the sun through closed eyes, making her see warm variations of orange and red. _::She's taking and awful long time, don't you think?:: _She thought to Anaya.  
_::Oh, I suppose so.:: _A soft sigh was heard in the back of her mind. _::I'm sure there is a good excuse.:_: Tanja turned her head a bit, giving Anaya a curious look, getting the impression she wasn't telling the whole truth. The Companion simply layed silent, appearing to be asleep.   
Tanja sighed and turned back, looking over to the gray mare, who was lounging in the shade.  
She closed her eyes again and tilted her face toward the sun, shivering slightly as she immediately got a feeling of pure warmth. :_:Perhaps we should go look for her, I'm really kind of anxious to get going again to Haven.:_: She thought once more to Anaya.  
_::Calm down, you're worrying too much. I'm sure the-- she's alright.::_  
Tanja opened her eyes, catching the slip before she could correct it. "They?"  
At that moment she head the sound of a Companion trotting towards them, she turned quickly as Anaya opened her eyes, raising her head up.  
_::Yes, they.::_  
And into view came a brilliant white Companion, trotting smoothly and picking his feet high in a comical manner. The bells across the bridle jingled merrilly as he trotted about, and on his back was a small girl, her dark hair whipping behind her like a cloak would, grinning sheepishly.  
Tanja stood, setting a hand on her hip. "I should've known," she chuckled slightly, shaking her head.  
Once in hearing range, the Companion stopped and Sophi rubbed the back of her neck. "Eh..." She began. "Look what followed me hom. Can we keep him, Momma?" She grinned from ear to ear, huggling the Companion's neck.  
Tanja played along, giving her a stern look. "First off, I'm not you're Momma, I feel bad for your Momma or anyone who has to put up with you." Sophi cringed and lurched backward, clutching her chest as if she'd just been hit. Tanja simply smiled a little.  
"Secondly, I don't know, he'll eat a lot and be a lot of work, if you promise to take care of him--" Sophi laughed a little, breaking her control on her expression as she cracked a smile, chuckling.  
"Yay! Ezra can stay!" Sophi exclaimed in childish glee, throwing her hands up in the air.  
Tanja smiled a bit. _::Ezra? Isn't that a girl's name?::_  
_::Don't ask, just don't ask.::_ Anaya told her, walking up beside her and giving Ezra a slight nuzzle with her velvet nose in greeting.  
Sophi blinked as Ezra returned the gesture. "Hey! None fo that until we get back to Haven, you two!" She grinned at Anaya, then to Tanja, then seemed to get a distant sort of look in her eyes. A small, semi-monotone 'voice' lifted into Tanja's mind.  
_::This could be...interesting. Mare and Stallion, let's just hope we're not important enough for them to be Grove-Born!::_  
Tanja blinked, Sophi's smile warming a bit, obviously relieved that it worked. She now concentrated hard on Sophi, seeing if she could project a thought. _::Interesting is an understatement.::_  
Sophi's eyes grew a bit wider as she stiffled a laugh, giving Tanja all the answer she needed. Just in case it wasn't enough, Sophi gave her a very deliberate, slow wink.  
Ezra snorted and shook his head lowly, Sophi getting the same slow, distant look. _They're talking now. _Tanja turned to Anaya and shrugged a bit.  
_ ::We should be going soon. With the gray mare, it'll take longer than usual.::_  
Tanja nodded in agreement, looking to the gray mare, who was still lounging in the shade of her tree, but much of her attention was on Ezra. _Great, a love struck horse. And with a Companion! _She shook her head a bit and looked to Sophi, who was waiting patiently.  
"Anaya says we should get going soon. With the mare, it'll take us a while longer than usual."  
Sophi nodded in response. "Ezra agrees. Let's pack up and get going."  
"Already done, we just have to find a way to teather the mare behind us so she'll follow," Tanja turned to run a hand along the back of Anaya's saddle. "I think we can lead her if you take the front," she paused. "Sound good?"  
Ezra nodded, Anaya giving her a small warm 'touch' of assurance.  
"Lovely," Sophi began. "Let's get her hooked up then." She slid off from Ezra's back, walking to the mare quickly.


	5. Suspicions Arise.

**Chapter 5: Suspicions Arise.**

They were soon on their way to Haven, the mare wasn't exactly happy being where Ezra couldn't see her and kept trying to edge in front of Anaya, almost turning her around so her tail was in front her her head, each time. Nothing a gentle nip or nudge from Tanja wouldn't cure, though.  
At some point, Sophi turned around to see Anaya nudging the mare backwards again, the mare's eyes fixed on Ezra. She turned back in her saddle, pausing a moment. _::I believe you have an admirer.::_  
The Companion flicked an ear back at her._ ::Admirer? Anaya?:: _He sounded almost alarmed as Sophi supressed a grin.  
_::You sure sound hopeful.:: _She gently teased._ ::Is there something you'd like to tell me?::_  
Ezra snorted and gave a difnified response of _::Of course not, I haven't even known her that long.::_  
That made Sophi raise a brow. Ezra looked full grown, as did Anaya, and she had the impression that all Companions kept dibs on eachother. How could he not have known her that long?  
Then it hit her like a sack of horseshoes, her eyes widened. _Anaya's Grove-born! _That could be the only reason for it. She thought she acted a bit uncertain at times, but then another thought her her.  
Tanja was Anaya's Chosen, then Tanja must be someone special! She ran the ranks through her mind; Queen's Own, Seneschal's Herald, and all other reasons for Grove-born Chosen. No, they were all taken. Elspeth had a Grove-born, though.  
_Herald-mage. Tanja's going to be a Herald-mage!? I always thought she was special, with that strong magnetic pull she has, and being a practicing Wiccan, but a Herald-mage...perhaps Adept level even, wow. _  
Sophi's eyes had just about fallen out of her head at this odd thought, her hands gripped the pommel tightly until her joints ached and she realized she was squeezing so hard. She stole a sidewise glance back at Tanja, who was nudging the mare back again, then turned forward.  
Ezra cocked his ears backwards.  
_::Something bothering you?::_ His 'voice' was colored lightly with concern, but at the risk that he would clean her mind of it, she shook her head.  
"No, just anxious, I suppose," Sophi whispered softly to him before keeping a mental note to tell Tanja about this later on.  
_::Well, thats to be expected.::_ Came the indifferent response. It seemed as though she had managed to keep her thoughts from him for now, but as their bond increased, who could tell how long that would last.  
  
Tanja was truely getting sick of his mare and her infatuation with Ezra, she nudged the poor thing back again before she managed to spin Anaya around.  
_::I believe I'm going to end up laming her before we get to Haven if she keeps trying to turn me like a top.:: _Anaya's voice was glumly colored as she set her ears back and sulked a bit. Tanja choked with the beginning of a laugh, but passed it off as a cough as she reached down to rub the side of Anaya's silky neck.  
Anaya shook her head a bit, the bells on her bridle jingling._ ::I don't need to be pampered and reasured like a child who is in ill temper.:: _She told Tanja sourly.  
Tanja blinked and stopped her light touch short as if Anaya had just slapped her across the face.  
_::But I didn't exactly say I wanted you to stop.:: _came the meek voice. Tanja smiled to herself and softly patted Anaya's neck.  
_ ::You'll have plenty of pampering when we get to Haven. How far is it, would you imagine?::_  
Anaya snorted softly and looked about herself._ ::A candlemark, I believe. Don't hold it to me if I'm wrong though.::  
_ Tanja allowed her lips to twitch upward and a small snicker escape as she patted Anaya's neck reasuringly. _::Don't worry, I won't.::_ She nudged the mare backwards again as she tried to sneak past. _::Wouldn't you think this thing would get the point after a while? I'm going to end up laming her myself if she doesn't stop.::  
_Anaya seemed to chuckle a little into her mind as she nodded. _::I'll help.::  
_Tanja smiled and looked up to the front, catching a bit of a glance from Sophi. She looked as if she had seen a ghost when she looked to her, even worse than she had been looking lately. She frowned and timidly reached a 'hand' out to Sophi._  
::Y-yes?:: _came the reply._  
::Are you alright? You look spooked.:: _Tanja bit her lip softly, shifting her weight as Anaya nipped at the mare._  
::I-I don't know. I was just thinking about something Ezra had told me. It has something to do with Anaya.::  
_Tanja blinked, pausing a moment before replying._ ::Companion things, or Anaya specifically?::  
::A bit of both actually.:: _Sophi's 'voice' was colored with anticipation, nervous anticipation._  
::Not now? In person, possible evesdropping?:: _She licked her lips softly, a bit nervous herself now._  
_Sophi turned in her saddle and nodded faintly, looking a bit more colored but still a little pale. She glanced down to Anaya before turning back again._  
This could only mean one thing if she's too afraid to tell me around the Companions; story business that could get out memories erased.   
_Now she was really nervous, Companions had a habit of erasing their Chosen's memories if it came to certain things. Like when Elspeth was Chosen, Rolan and Gwena had erased Elspeth and Talia's memories that Gwena was Grove-born. _Grove-born, could that be it? Could one of the Companions be Grove-born? _If they were, that meant they were meant to be some sort of special Heralds. Maybe even Herald-mages.  
Her mouth went dry as she went over the possibility of herself of Sophi being Herald mages. She gripped the pommel tightly and suppressed a squeal of glee as she smiled to herself. There were going to be a lot of Herald-mages after Elspeth gets back though, so why should they get Grove-born Companions, unless they were going to be something even further special. Another possibility to think through in her spare time, but for now she had to think of other things.  
_Yeah, like how to keep this stupid mare back there. _She shoved the mare backwards again.  
_ ::Something on your mind?:: _Tanja almost jumped at Anaya's voice, suddenly relaying back to what happened to Talia and Elspeth. She looked down at Anaya and sighed, murmuring at the set of ears quietly.  
"I don't know, Sophi just seems really anxious about something, she won't tell me what, either." She wasn't lying really, she was worried about what was bothering Sophi, she simply didn't tell her the entire truth. She nodded to herself, not like the Companions didn't keep enough secrets from them, they deserved a bit of their own medicine.  
_::Ezra doesn't seem to know what's wrong with her either. She is acting very odd, though. Perhaps it's just the excitement getting to her.::_  
"Maybe," She absently brushed her ponytail behind her shoulder and straightened her tunic. _I wish we had time to make ourselves a bit more presentable. Although, we probably are a lot better off than others were, like Talia._  
_::By far, from what Rolan's told me, she would've been better off wearing a burlap sack.::_  
Tanja blinked and shook her head gently. _::Eavesdropper.::_  
_::You're projecting to me, I can't help it if you don't know how to shield yet.:: _Anaya snorted and nipped the mare back.  
_::Oh, and it's mine? I'm sorry to say there is very little magick where I'm from.::_ She smiled a bit when Anaya didn't bother to respond.  
"Tanja!" Sophi called back to her. "Come up here, quick!"  
Tanja looked up, realizing that they'd fallen farther behind with the gray mare than she imagined. Anaya quickened her pace, almost dragging the mare at first, but when she realized where they were going, she kept up nicely.  
"What's wro--," Tanja blinked as they came up over a small ridge of the hill, she stared down into a larger ciry than they'd seen yet.   
The sun was just setting off to their left and casting a golden glow over the tops of the small buildings they could see. It was a large city, nowhere near as large as the one they had back in the Outworld, but this place had a rustic charm of the old days.   
"It's beautiful, and these are just the outskirts!" Sophi murmured under her breath. She then grinned and turned to Tanja. "Welcome home, Herald-Tanja."  
Tanja chuckled a little in return and nodded. "Welcome home, Herald-Sophi."  
Sophi shook her head and turned back to look into the outskirts of town. "No...not home yet, but I'm sure that over time, it will be." She scoffed a little bit and nudged Tanja. "Either way, it's bound to be one hell of an adventure, eh?"  
_::And it's only just beginning.::_ Anaya spoke up, the look on Sophi's face told her that Ezra was saying something to the same effect.  
Ezra and Anaya began descending the hilltop then, the mare keeping up at the promise of a warm bed. They entered Haven that evening at dusk, the sun painting the sky bright reds and oranges as the night creatures began to wake and sound off.  
As Tanja took in a deep breath of calm, cool air, scented with food and animals, she nodded to herself and smiled a bit, knowing that Anaya and Ezra were right; this was just the beginning of her new life as an Outworldic Herald, and a great adventure. It was heavenly.


	6. At Last, Haven.

**Chapter 6: At Last, ****_Haven_****.**

They started down the hill and into the city, the smell of clay and bread and any other tradeshop they could think of engulfed the air and hung there heavily as they rode through the city streets with peddlers and merchants locking up for the evening.  
Lamps hung over the street, unlit now but they passed a man with a ladder and a mule carrying lamp oil and sparkers, someone Sophi assumed to be the lamptender. A small girl and a boy walked along side a woman who was carrying a pallet of bread, the girl giggled as she looked up to Sophi and blushed when Sophi looked back, giving her a little wave. It was a charming place, and this seemed to be all little shops that were owned by families, trade places that were all crowded together, not an inch of space was taken for granted here.  
"Do you think the entire city is like this?" She called back to Tanja, slowing gradually to come up and ride next to her.  
"I doubt it, remember, the outskirts are all trade places and crowded, then in the inner-city walls there are taverns and well off homing, then there's finally the castle gates. It gets a lot more spread out as well." Tanja nodded in a matter of fact way. "I studied up." She grinned to her, who in turn made a face at her, before grinning as well.  
"Rub it in, why don't you."  
"I think I will, thank you." She looked back ahead again as they closed in on a monster of a wall. "Whoa...Karal wasn't kidding when he said the outer city walls were huge." She blinked as she looked up over them, guards were guarding every inch of them as well, as they well enough proved as they were stopped a couple times inside of the large tunnel, but then waved through once they saw they were riding Companions.  
"Another tunnel. They last time I let you drag me through a tunnel I woke up in a nightmarish ride through hell," Sophi grinned and cast a sidelong gaze to Tanja, who chuckled.  
"I'm never going to live that one down, now am I?" Tanja shook her head as they walked out of the tunnel finally.  
"Not likely," Sophi smiled a little as she looked down to the walkway now, hoping to get a look at the odd pavement everyone was always talking about. It looked an awful like cement to her, but smoother for some reason. "Huh, they were right about the paths too, they're really strange."  
"Hmm?" Tanja then looked down as well. "Oh, yea they are kind of goofy aren't they. Like cement sidewalks but not quite."  
"My thoughts exactly!" Sophi grinned up to her as she sat up again and looked around at all the taverns, which were all still buzzing busily with conversation. "Think the Compass Rose is around here?"  
"Maybe, but you know that's where the blues like Natoli hang around. We wouldn't really fit in that well." Tanja shrugged and looked around a bit, pushing the mare back again.  
Sophi looked up ahead as well, yawning as she realized she was really quite tired and truly wanted some place to sleep for a while.  
::Don't worry, we're almost there, just a moment longer.:: Ezra spoke up suddenly, making Sophi nearly bite her tongue off. She nodded slightly and patted Ezra's neck softly, hoping that he was very right, but the way they were going they seemed to be twisting and turning in every direction except ahead.  
She sighed and simply hung around for the ride, not really caring anymore if they got anywhere later, rather than sooner. Ezra's ride was so much nicer and smoother than the mares and she was simply grateful for that fact, she was so used to struggling to stay on, this seemed like a walk in the clouds for her.  
"Ah! Who do weh 'ave 'ere!?" A loud voice boomed behind the two as they confronted a smaller gateway, presumably to the castle grounds.  
Sophi and Tanja both nearly jumped out of their skin as the gruff voice addressed them. Laughing soon followed as a short, stubby man appeared at their side, holding a tin lantern up to them.  
"Eh, hello," Tanja began slowly.  
"'Allow Thea'! Who do weh 'ave?" He brushed of the hemming of Anaya's saddle and held the lantern to it, leaning close enough to where Sophi could even see his bristly orange beard and puffy eyebrows. "Anaya. Welcome home Lady-love!" He grinned at the Companion and walked to Ezra, repeating the same gestures. "Ezra," He paused a moment and tried out the name again. "Ezra, hmm, well, welcome home mi," he paused again and looked him over. "milord."  
Ezra snorted and pawed the ground.  
::See what I mean?:: Sophi playfully teased. ::Sounds like a girl's name.::  
::Hush, now you see what I deal with!:: His voice was colored with impatience.  
"An' the rider's names?" The guard's voice called her back to reality.  
"Tanja and Solphin," Tanja responded quickly, just making a point to bother Sophi about her name. The guard took note of the names and made a face, leaning in close to Sophi.  
"Solphin? Eh, well it seems yerself and Ezra are meant ta be togetha'!" He laughed a bit as Sophi and Ezra both snorted, glowering.  
::How rude! Honestly!:: Sophi thought sharply to Ezra.  
::No doubt his name is no better.:: Ezra told her gruffly, obviously annoyed by all this name business.  
She nodded and sat back in the saddle, holding her reins in one hand as she looked down her nose at the guard, trying to seem taller than she really was.   
"And what is your name, milord guard?" She asked him smartly.  
"Ah, Carn be me name, aftah me gran'da." he nodded proudly and beamed, puffing his chest out.  
Sophi heard Ezra grumble in the back of her mind as her scraped a hoof against the ground in a very annoyed fashion. ::Perhaps it is then.:: She simply nodded.  
"Well-met then, Carn. We're rather tired actually and would like a bed and perhaps a bit to eat, if we could, that is of course," Tanja spoke up before Sophi and Ezra could get in another shot or two, or go into one of her long speeches.  
He nodded and waved them through the privy gate. "O' course yewl 'ave food an' a bed! Where do yew think this be? Karse!?" He laughed heartily as he followed after with the gray mare as another guard locked the gate behind them with a heavy key.  
There they found another two guards and two stable hands, one who took the gray mare, the other offered to help each of them dismount, murmuring softly to Ezra.  
Sophi wrinkled her nose in suspicious as she looked over the young stablehand warily.  
::Don't worry, Zephen is trustworthy. I've known him as long as I've been here.:: Ezra spoke up drowsily, his eyes already half closed. That was another odd thing, Ezra looked to be a little older, but this stablehand must've only been around eleven or so. Of course what did she know about Companions and how fast they grew?  
::Tired already? You baby!:: Sophi teased a bit.  
::You're not as light as you look.:: He turned his head a bit and winked before he let Zephen lead him away.  
Sophi stuck the tip of her tongue out at Ezra as he left, swinging his hind half at her tauntingly, his tail still catching odd bits of light and reflecting them back at her.  
"Befo'e we get yew to rooms, we must fin' the Orientation Instructah ta show yew about. That means we're off to the Collegium." Carn spoke up as he lead them away from the gate. "Dun't worry 'bout ya bags, they'll be taken apart an' cleaned an' brough' to yer rooms again." They nodded and followed quickly after Carn.  
The castle grounds seemed so much larger than they looked. Companion's field was off in the left as well as the sheds and other small buildings, the Collegiums looked as if they were off in the back, to the right and left behind the castle. The gardens seemed to be, well...everywhere. There were paths cut into them that would nearly go everywhere and anywhere you wanted to go.  
Sophi made an attempt at remembering the paths Carn took, but once again her memory failed miserably and she gave up somewhere between the back gardens and the Heraldic Collegium. So she simply followed him around blindly through the decorative shrubbery.  
Carn talked happily about this and that, how they never thought Anaya and Ezra would find Chosen and how they were getting to be the oldest in the fields without Chosen and all of that. Sophi wasn't really paying much attention, but could fake with the best. Whenever Carn had asked a question, or laughed she nodded or chuckled politely, just to be kind, of course.  
Tanja was a bit more reserved, watching the gardens and the servants quietly, returning a careful nod from another student in Grays every so often.  
At one point, Carn stopped to talk to another wandering servant, or so it looked to be a wandering servant in the pale light. The two talked quietly a moment or two, the servant casting glances to them every once in a while.  
::Well they seem to be having a lovely time.:: Tanja told Sophi, rather annoyed by the sound of it.  
::So I've noticed, what could be so interesting from a servant?:: Sophi sent back bitterly, crossing her arms expectantly.  
::Servant? Huh, I thought they looked like Grays to me. I could be mistaken in this light, though.:: Sophi scratched her head softly, running a hand through her hair. Tanja leaned a little closer in hopes to catch a better view from the light.  
At that chosen moment Carn turned with half a gesture, almost hitting Tanja in the side if she hadn't moved out of the way at the last second.  
"This be them. Tanja and Solphin, the two that came in on Anaya an' Ezra." He gave a sort of grin back to them. "This be Sheila, she can take yew to the Orientation Instructa. I need be gettin' back to the fron'." At that he nodded to them both and turned back down the hall the way they came.  
They watched after him a moment, then turned back again to face Sheila. At a closer look, her student Grays shown against the pale light, plain enough to be mistaken as servant livery. Sheila smiled a bit to the two, speaking carefully to the two until she knew if they were used to the tongue.  
"I don't know how much Carn told you about this place, but that can wait. Right now we need to get you to the QuarterMaster. After that, we'll see if we can find the Orientation Instructor, Dirk," at that she started down the hall at a quick pace.  
Sophi paused, looking to Tanja in awe, wondering if she caught all of that. Tanja herself looked very wary and a bit confused. All the better, now Sophi knew she wasn't imagining things.   
They started after Sheila quickly, so not to lose her in the halls, all the while something nagging at Sophi in the back of her mind.   
They had understood Sheila quite well, perfectly as a matter of fact, but while Carn spoke one language to them, English, Sheila spoke another. Yet they still understood this new language, perhaps more of Vanyel's doing? That was the only solution she could think of, but what else had he done to help them? She furrowed her brows and stared ahead intently, thinking to herself as she listened to the tapping of feet along the halls.


	7. The Troubles Begin.

**Chapter 7: The Troubles Begin.**

"Here we are now. The Quarter Master's office is right here," Sheila turned halfway, gesturing to a door. "She'll be getting you your rooms and Grays. All of that, and take you to meet the Orientation Instructor." She tapped lightly on the door, a thin voice called out after the tap for entry. Sheila opened the door and gestured that she would follow after the two.  
Sophi shrugged to Tanja and walked into the semi-small office. She stopped a bit short and glanced around the room, rather plain when she thought about it.  
Shelves around the room held books varying in size, a fire was in the place and a table with several comfortable looking cushioned chairs surrounded it in the near center of the room.   
A thin woman in light colored clothing walked out of another room, carrying a book at her side. She turned her warm hazel colored eyes on the two and smiled readily to them. Her triangular face was fare and framed with lightly flowing almond-shaded waves to her shoulders.  
"Two more for you!" Sheila grinned as she stopped beside Tanja. "Just came in today with Anaya and Ezra."  
"Anaya and Ezra? I must be losing my touch, I didn't even know the two went to Choose." The woman's long fingers curled around the spine of her book as she walked to them.  
"I'm not sure that many did," Sheila responded with a slight chuckle. "I present Heraldic Student Tanja and Heraldic Student Solphin." Sheila made a bit of a show, half-bowing in a slight gesture of presentation. Sophi grimaced at her name and raised a brow, holding back a small chuckle as the QuarterMaster grinned and shook her head.  
"Well then, Tanja, Solphin--" She began, but was cut short by Sophi's outstretched arm.  
"Um, I'm called Sophi, Solphin is just my, eh, birth name." She felt her cheeks flush hotly as the QuarterMaster smiled and nodded once.  
"Alright then. Tanja, Sophi," She paused again, smiling to Sophi. She nodded and the QuarterMaster continued. "I'm Bertha, the Quarter Master for the Heraldic Collegium."  
"Nice to meet you," Tanja half murmured back as Sophi nodded simply. They both seemed a bit surprised at their grasp of the language, Sophi giving Tanja a sidelong glance of excitement.  
Bertha just nodded and lifted a notebook from the table, quickly writing something down and flipping through it again.  
"Which of you came on Ezra?" She looked up a moment as Sophi nodded and lifted a hand slightly in response. Bertha's smile widened into a grin, the corners of her eyes wrinkling slightly. "I don't know if I should envy you, or be afraid for you with that young stallion." She laughed then as Sophi turned a bit pink in the cheeks and Tanja chuckled, her head lowered a bit. Sophi elbowed Tanja and she choked back the rest of her laughter before standing up straight again.  
Bertha wrote down a few more things, then set the book down on the table.  
"Now that we have your names and Companions names, here comes the real work," she chuckled a bit and looked to them both. "The castle doesn't spare us any servants here so we need to list you up for chores according to ability."  
Catching the hint, Sophi groaned a bit and nodded. "I kept my house almost my entire life so I can just about clean anything, anywhere. I can't sew worth dirt, though. As long as it needs to be cleaned and not hemmed I'll be alright. Light stitching is no problem, though."  
"I can't sew at all, but I can learn. That and I can cook a bit," Tanja spoke up quickly, watching as Bertha made them up a chart for each of them, tearing a page from her book and handing them over.  
"Now that we have that out of the way, time to get you some student Grays," she nodded to Sheila. "Could you take them to the storage room and laundry and quickly get them a pair? After that it's to the washroom and get them something to eat! You must all be famished!" She smiled again and winked to Tanja quickly.  
"Will do, shouldn't take long at all," Sheila responded.  
"Good. Oh, and your rooms are along the far end near the gardens, the number is written on your sheets. I'm sure Sheila can show you as well," she looked to Sheila, who nodded slightly. "Good, good. Well then," she set her hands up on her hips and gave them a stern look. "Shoo-shoo! Get going before I waste more of your eating time!"  
Sophi suppressed a chuckled and quickly turned back around, following after Sheila. At the sound of the door shutting behind herself, she lagged back a bit, glancing back behind herself to Tanja. Tanja looked up--or down--to her with a knowing look, glancing pointedly up ahead to where Sheila was.  
_::Let's see, whisked away to an unknown land, encountered three ghosts, given sp-special horses and now we can speak Valdemarian. What next?:: _Sophi thought to Tanja, pausing a moment to wonder why she couldn't even think "Spirit-horse" to Tanja.   
Apparently Tanja caught the stutter and nodded a bit as she passed by Sophi to follow after Sheila._  
::I'm not sure, but there is something we're here for.:: _She sighed a bit as they caught up to Sheila. _::Don't bother even thinking about magic here, or what the Companions are. The vrondi are still around, along with the other spells Vanyel set.:: _She didn't seem that pleased about that fact._  
::So, then, that means this is before Elspeth returned?:: _A small frown passed across her lips._ ::In other words, Ancar, Hulda, Falconsbane and Charliss are still alive and Hardon still doesn't have a king with Earth-Sense.::   
::That and Karse still thinks we're all a bunch of demons up here, most likely.::_ Sophi shook her head gently, catching a peculiar side-glance from Sheila.  
"Just a bit taken aback still," she offered as an explanation. It wasn't really a lie, she was surprised at something, just not about what Sheila most likely thought. She simply nodded and grinned.  
"I can understand that, it is all a bit overwhelming considered where I grew up." A mental alarm went off in Sophi's mind as she hoped and prayed that she wouldn't ask. All of it was in vain. "So, where are you two from, anyway?" Sheila smiled sweetly and cocked her head to look sidewise at Sophi.  
Tanja cringed and looked wide-eyed to Sophi, shaking her head so very slightly.  
"Well," Sophi began, looking away from Sheila, straight ahead again.  
_::What the hell do I tell her!?:: _She asked Tanja, panicking horribly as she felt her face flush with a sudden feeling of immense warmth, her heart racing._  
::I don't know! Make something up, quick. Eh, traveling with those faire people near Hardon, maybe?:: _Tanja replied quickly, the own panic in her voice very obvious.  
Sophi swallowed and took a breath in. "Tanja and I grew up around the same group of people. Not really that close to here," she stumbled a bit, trying to weave a sort of half-truth without giving anything incriminating away.  
"Oh, really?" Sheila spoke up, looking from Sophi to Tanja, then back again. "you don't look that much alike. Around where did you grow up?"  
Sophi nearly choked as she tried to think of something quickly.  
"That's because we don't have the same heritage." Tanja spoke up truthfully.  
"That's what I thought," Sheila smiled a bit. "Your tinted skin almost looks Shin'a'in, but maybe Rethwallen is more likely since you have dark eyes. Yet, you're not of the usual stocky build from up there. That and how your hair is dark, it suggests somewhere from the south, maybe along Karse," Sheila chuckled. "A whole bunch of contradictions all thrown together it seems!"  
_ ::There's a thought, Shin'a'in is a bit far-fetched, but what of a Karse run-away and a Rethwallen faire traveler for parents?:: _Sophi licked her lips and looked to Tanja, who looked back._  
::It'll take a chance, we don't know when this is still, or if the faire travelers are common.:: _She paused a moment before glancing to Sophi again, a slight smile across her lips. _::We could say we're from Iftel. No merchants will tell, and nobody will expect us to know common knowledge around here since it's so isolated.::_  
Sophi blinked and looked away from Tanja and Sheila again, thinking this over in her mind as she chewed on her non-existant nails.  
It did make sense, Iftel was about as cut off from this world as you could get. The merchants weren't going to talk and nobody had any idea about what kind of people came from there. They could have green skin and purple colored tentacles for arms as far as anyone knew. She nodded to herself and looked up again, knowing that this would work, at least until that gryphon from Iftel comes down and visits Tremane. What was his name again, Tashiketh?  
It hardly mattered what his name was now, Sheila was waiting for her answer and so was Tanja, who was looking at her anxiously. Sophi looked away from Sheila and bashfully murmured under her breath, "Iftel." Sheila raised a brow and leaned closer, stopping in front of a door.  
"Where did you say?" She asked again. Sophi sighed and wrenched her head around, setting on a face of mild torment as if it was being dragged from her.  
"Iftel. Tanja and I are from Iftel." She looked away again, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, and back again. Tanja looked away as well, keeping her head slightly lowered.  
"What!?" Sheila yelped and backed up as the door flung open, a middle aged looking man burst out of it, his light hair flailing around his face.  
"What's wrong!?" He asked in a bewildered shout, looking to Sheila. She shook her head and cleared her throat as Sophi felt her face flush and her entire body become hot again.  
"Eh, n-nothing, Dirk," Sheila replied shakily, standing a little straighter. "You're just the fellow we were looking for, though. Dirk, these two are your newest Heraldic Students, Tanja and Solph--I mean, Sophi." Dirk nodded as a bit of color came back into his face.  
"Oh, alright then," he cleared his throat and held the door open wide. "Be my guests, ladies. Step into my humble office." They entered quickly, Sophi noticing a peculiar look the Orientation Instructor cast her way.  
"Actually, I'm late meeting some friends for dinner. Can you take them to see Teren and their rooms? I can take them to the washroom and the kitchen afterwards." Sheila bit her lip almost looking like she was begging Dirk. He smiled and nodded, waving her away.   
"Go on, I can take care of these two for now," he set a hand on Sophi's arm carefully as Sheila grinned and thanked him.  
"I'll see you guys later on!" She promised as she left, waving.  
"Alright then, you two need to go and see Teren to get your classes set up, right?" Dirk asked them as he held his door open in one hand.  
"That's right," Sophi nodded and took a moment to look Dirk over. Talia was truly correct when she said that he was no great beauty, he was pretty normal and usual to look at to be honest, but she could see good humor in his eyes.  
Tanja nodded and Dirk nodded back, holding the door open once more.  
"No better time than the present, let's go see him now before you two die of hunger," He grinned to Tanja and she replied with a little smile as she walked out past Sophi and into the hall again. Sophi raised a brow, was she imagining things or did Tanja seem to be quite taken by Dirk. It was an interesting thought.  
"I agree most definitely, and so does my stomach," Sophi smiled and walked out into the hall beside Tanja. Dirk stepped out behind her, chuckling softly as he shut the door.   
"I don't doubt that one bit, actually. It's nice to have an actual warm meal after traveling for a while, I still have trouble believing that I survived through my Journeyman year, and not to mention Skif's!" He sighed and shook his head. "It wasn't all that bad but I still think it's a wonder we lasted on his and my cooking." Sophi nodded and chuckled a little as they started down the hallway again.  
"Oh I'm just hoping that I get someone who can cook to show me around when I'm a Journeyman, because the Goddess knows that I cook about as well as Skif, I bet," Tanja spoke up now, chuckling a little.  
"I know the feeling," Sophi groaned. "I tried cooking for myself once...let's just say I'll never look at soup the same way again."  
Dirk laughed and nodded in a far too understanding way as he tapped on a door quietly.  
"Come?" A low, warm voice called out on the opposite side as Dirk opened the door up carefully.  
"Teren, it seems we have another two students we need to check in before I let you go to sleep," Dirk grinned to the older man behind a desk.  
"Oh no, not more!" A humor-filled voice called out as the person groaned. "Tell them to go home, we're all full up," Dirk laughed and waved Tanja and Sophi inside.  
"It's not that bad, they seem harmless." Dirk raised a brow at the two, Teren doing the same, measuring Sophi up as he stood.  
"Yea, well so does Keren, that doesn't mean she's very harmless, I have the scratch marks to prove it!" He rolled up a sleeve and showed his arm to Sophi, who laughed and shook her head.  
"Oh please, my sister leaves worse marks than that," She held her head high and winked to Tanja. She smirked and shook her head.  
"So she does," Teren tsked the marks on Sophi's arm and shook his head. "I feel your pain, Miss--."  
"Sophi," Dirk interrupted, "Sophi and Tanja," He nodded to Tanja and her in turn. They both nodded back.  
"Ah, pleasure to meet you, I'm Teren, the Dean here in the Collegium," he beamed.  
"Oh stop with the dramatics, it's far too late and you know it," Dirk scolded him and sat back in a chair, quite tired it seemed.  
"Eh, perhaps just a bit late," He shrugged.  
"I'm just glad that you were still here this late after sunset, I was just about to just take them to their rooms and leave this until later on," Dirk told Teren as he rubbed his right eye with a knuckle.  
"I was just about to turn in, good thing you just caught me." He responded and gestured to a table for them to sit by.  
Sophi groaned mentally as she lowered her filth infested and sore little body into a chair. This was bound to be a very, _very_ long night.


	8. ...Home...

**Chapter 8: ...Home...**

Tanja sighed as she tossed herself down on her bed, laying face down for a while.  
Teren was a sweet man, and so was Dirk, just as Talia's stories had claimed, but Teren droned on and on for nearly two candlemarks about their classes and teachers and yearmates.   
She groaned as her aching legs began complaining again. And I feel and smell like something the cat dragged in. I didn't know it would take that long to get our classes and leave again.  
She pushed herself upright again and stood as she heard a timid tapping at her door.  
"It's Sheila," the familiar voice called out. "Do you want to wash up and get something to eat before you fall over dead?" Tanja walked to the door and opened it, nodding gently.   
"That would be nice." She then noticed Sophi standing behind Sheila. She side stepped beside Sheila and threw a bundle of cloth at Tanja, grinning from ear to ear.  
"Good! Now hold onto your Grays and let's go get washed up! I smell like Ezra." Sophi wrinkled her nose and blinked, her face flushing with embarrassment. Tanja assumed Ezra was giving her an earful.  
"Alright then, I probably smell the same. We wouldn't want people to edge away and pass out when we walk past." Tanja shut her door quietly and gestured for Sheila to lead the way.  
Tanja had already given up trying to memorize the halls, it was just a matter of time before she learned them all so why rush it?  
As they followed Sheila into the 'public' bathhouse, loud chattering and splashes were heard. Four other girls were sunk up to their shoulders in steaming water, making their figures seem misty.  
"--And over here are the towels," Sheila was showing Sophi around now, Tanja had already missed most of the tour so she'd just tag along with Sophi later on until she figured it all out.  
"Hey-la!" A girl called over from the streaming tub, waving an arm up over her head.  
Tanja raised her eyebrows and gave her a strange look before walking over to the side of the tub.   
The girls looked up to her, all other conversation stopped for now. Tanja suddenly wished she hadn't put that deep green streak in her hair, realizing how odd it must look.  
A girl with pale skin and light, wispy dirty blonde hair had called her over, immediately striking a conversation up about nothing really. Tanja answered her questions in a sort of monotone voice, not really interested in talking at this moment, especially to a strange girl in the middle of a bathhouse.  
"Making new friends already?" Sophi called out, walking up beside the gathering. "I feel shunned!" She set a hand to her chest and gasped, a horrid expression on her face.  
Tanja smiled and shook her head. "No, I was called over so I decided to make a bit of conversation while you were fussing over towels."  
"Oh really?" Sophi raised a brow, poorly. "And who would this oh-so-special li'l lady be?" She looked down into the tub, her eyes falling on each of the girls.  
"I believe I'm the one she's talking about," the blonde spoke up. "She was looking more than lost so I decided to ask her over for a bit of a chat." She shot off a charming smile.  
Sophi gave them her own sort of smile, making it polite but not her famously infectious grin. "And who might you be?" She prompted in a well hidden patronizing voice.  
"Chelsa," she answered, flipping a strand of hair over her shoulder. "And this is Sina, Tavan and Tam. "She gestured to the three other darker-haired figures beside her. They each nodded or gave a small wave in hello.  
Tanja nodded and Sophi gestured to herself. "Well, I'm Sophi and this is my partner-in-crime, Tanja." Tanja nodded again in greeting. "And I'm sorry to say that I smell like a Companion and old dirt so I'm off to wash, if you'd excuse me." She then excused herself.  
Tanja looked back to the four girls as one of them--Tam?--asked her another question, trying to strike up another conversation.  
By the end of the candlemark, Tanja had found out a number of things. The time period was around the time of Ancar's attacks, Elspeth hadn't left though so Falconsbane and Nyara weren't even known, yet.  
Tanja had found that these four were one of the better sources of information, known to be horrible gossips, which explained their urge to speak with a new Gray.  
She kept her mouth closed about her own past, saying little about where she was from, not even what they had told to Sheila. It was pretty obvious that if she had told them, it would have been all around the Collegium and back by tomorrow. This could be useful, though, if one wanted something to be known.  
Once changed into her Grays and washing all of the old dirt and horse-smell from her, she found them a bit less comfortable than her old clothing from Home. Then again, what did she expect? This wasn't even Earth, it was Gaia, things wouldn't be the same.  
So as Sophi, Sheila and herself walked to the mess hall for their dinner, it must've been only a couple candlemarks from midnight, but it was still humming with activity. The hall was still relatively empty, which she thanked the Goddess for. It was far too late to go through that whole being polite ordeal again.  
::Tired?:: Sophi's own weary 'voice' called out to her.  
::Very. Those girls in the bathhouse were too nosy for my tastes, especially when we don't have our story straight yet.:: She sighed and looked around at the food, and frowned. ::And aren't any of these people vegetarian?!:: She was getting far too frustrated. ::Everything here has a face!::  
Sophi frowned and looked to Sheila, murmuring something softly to her. Sheila bit her lip and shrugged, vanishing into the back room.  
::I asked her to ask the cook for anything without flesh in it.::  
Tanja sighed and gave Sophi a sort of grateful look as she wandered off to pour herself something to drink.  
* * *  
Tanja had quite an ordeal with the cook, dodging carefully placed, almost-insults and receiving interesting glares, but dealing about as many awful looks. She had settled for a sort of odd pot-pie with vegetables and a thick butter sauce, raising a brow as the cook muttered under his breath.  
No matter now, though. She was back in her little room, clean, full and quite happy considering her stomach was being twisted around out of anxiety. But that word didn't really pin point the feeling, it wasn't really anxiety, more along the lines of apprehension, or maybe even excitement. It was all over tomorrow and what would happen. Whether the feeling was a good or bad one, she couldn't really tell.  
It was late, that was all that mattered, and she'd need a good night's rest to be able to drag her abused body up from her bed in the morning.   
She sighed and wearily clambered into bed, sinking gratefully down into the soft pillow as she closed her worn out eyes. As soon as she began to think she'd be able to ease her mind from the 'what ifs' of tomorrow, a loud thunderstorm broke outside, a flash of light and a short rumbling shook the window.  
Tanja groaned and pulled the sheets over her head, waiting for sleep to find her.  
Sophi sat up quietly as the night wore on. She took a moment to change into a sort of nightclothing left for her, nibbling on an even stranger sweet fruit she picked up in the kitchen while arguing with the cook over that pie for Tanja.  
The fruit was almost like a small mango, fruity in a sort of dulled down waxy taste, but surprisingly sweet in that way. Also it had a sort of pealing on it like a plum, dark in color and bitter to chew on, but it offset the sweet mango taste quite nicely, so she thought at least.  
A saddle bag, faintly resembling her own was propped up against her bed, neatly cleaned and polished up. It was hardly recognizable to her or anyone else for that matter, she imagined, but when she leaned over and opened it, all her old clothing and supplies were in it.   
Near the bottom she picked up two copper coins and her brush from Home. The plastic bristles had long ago lost most of their gray caps meant to keep from scratching the scalp, the silver paint on the handle was coming off in flecks of silver onto her hands each time she used it as well, but it hardly mattered to her. It was Home.  
A carefully made wooden chair was propped up against the wall, she pushed it over to the window with her foot as she ran the well worn brush through her hair once. She grimaced as she sat, running the brush through a knotted section of the mop on her head she called her hair.  
It was getting fairly long now, she'd always kept it long though. Whether that was out of like or habit didn't really matter, she didn't spend time thinking about her appearance, not when there could be other things to think of, like writing or where she could get her hands on a certain song she wanted. Or sleeping, sleep time was a lovely time for her, her only real escape from the insanity in her household, and even then it was interrupted mostly.  
Her siblings were always fighting, or her father wanted her to help him with something, or talk at her about something. That was the thing, her father never talked to her, but at her. Eventually you learned to just smile and nod until he stopped or got bored, and both options ended in him edging out the door uncertainly.   
He seemed to think that time spent sleeping could always be spent in a better way, even if there was nothing to do but sleep. She was always more of a night person anyway, not like she wouldn't have chosen to be a morning person, if she had the choice. Be able to work better hours and be able to get up without being in a poor mood, she envied her younger sister, who was most definitely an early riser.  
Whinny, another person from Home to think about. The corners of her mouth twitched downward a bit as she slowly combed her hair, thinking about her younger sister now. The Social Butterfly, The Artist, The Baby, The go-getter, there were a lot of nicknames for her, and they were all true. She was truly a gem to her parents, or so it seemed to Sophi at least.   
Her and her brother, Nat, were usually looked down on or ignored while Whinny was everyone's pride. She wished she could make them happy at times, but not like that, not the way Whinny did. Whinny was always easy to anger, but just as quick to forgive. She was artistic, a social butterfly, motivated and always cheery and sweet to everyone. It made Sophi sick to think about being that way.  
While Whinny was good humored and sweet as honey, Sophi was dry humored, goofy, hyper energetic at times and then sullen and sulking the next. She wanted to be left alone a lot, alone to think or write, whichever or both. She was quick witted and had a sharp tongue, which she never really learned how to use correctly. The only thing her and her sister had in common was their love to draw, and the only thing that actually showed they were of the same blood was their hair.  
Sophi looked at her reflection in the window, looking at her hair. We always had the same hair color, cut and style. Very long and straight, dull brown, and parted to the side. No bangs to speak of either.   
A bolt of lightning lit up the sky and made her hair shine. She took notice now that whatever they gave her for shampoo had given her usually dull and plain hair a slight shine. A smile flickered across her lips briefly as a quick flash of lightning lit up the sky once again.   
Maybe it was time for a change of style, this was a new place, a new time, a new life. Perhaps along with that her hair that she'd had since the beginning of her life should change with it.   
She'd almost cut it several times before, but each time she somehow talked herself out of it, saying that it was what she was known for. "The chick with the long hair", that's how she was known a lot as. Well, that and "The chick who looks like she's 12". She did look extremely young, who would've guessed that she was older than Tanja, if only by a few weeks.  
It was silly to think about things like this right now though, it was just making her listless and sullen about home and the past, like the past always had. The impression most people had of her was this bundle of energy that never worried or fretted about anything, the very opposite was true, she was just an extraordinary actress around people. Only two people had ever been able to look through her act and see her, though, and both of them were Home.  
Jordon...he would've loved it here. Such wonderful night sky, such lovely sunsets, such beautiful storms. She frowned and shook her head. This was exactly why she didn't want to think about the past, now she had upset herself.  
"Such a beautiful night," she murmured to nobody, wishing suddenly that she had someone to watch the storm with. Suddenly she realized that she would never see any of them again, most likely. What a horrible thought, but a realistic one at that. She ran the brush through the length of her hair again, watching another silver needle steak across the deep blue sky, it's tail flying behind it like silver thread made of light.  
I can hardly wait for the real storms to come, if these are normal, I wonder what magickal storms are like. Bound to be spectacular. She thought quietly for a moment or two about all the storms she's watched and all the people she watched them with.   
All the people, she always said that as soon as she got old enough she would leave this place behind and start over, somewhere where nobody would know her. It came sooner than she thought, and now she missed them. Well, not all of them, she disliked most people at her school, they were all so pretentious, so...So stupid. But she missed certain people, and all their little quirks.  
A small smile crawled onto her lips as she thought them over. Kari and her obsession with that Pop Band, her silly fanfictions about them. Such a sweet and wholesome girl, what will she do now that I'm not there to help her fight off all the jerks and encourage her? She'll have her sisters I suppose. Those two don't help her much though. I thought multiple birth children like the triplets were supposed to be close, but I guess I was wrong.  
What about Meegan, I always tried to listen to her when she had problems with her dad or with her current boyfriend, but she has other friends she can talk to, I'd suppose. She was so much fun to be around, a party girl through and through.  
Her eyes gazed through the window and the storm as she hit a dry spot, realizing that not that many people really relied on her, it didn't matter that greatly if she was there or not. Meegan had other people, perhaps it was best that Kari learn to stand up for herself and everyone else had someone, even Tanja had someone if she was gone and Tanja was still at Home.  
But Derek and Jordon, they are the only two that would really truly care. Derek, her boyfriend of nearly 3 years was back at Home. He would miss her, she knew it, and worried about it. What would he do now that she was gone??  
And Jordon! Her closest and dearest friend in the entire world, and one of the only people who had ever seen through her act. To be honest he was the only, Derek had an unfair advantage to talking with her through e-mail and such for about 2 years beforehand. Jordon had to break through her actions and her entire full blown public act in school. What was this going to do to him now that she was gone? They had fought before, and he became depressed and withdrawn as it was, as did she. Now she was completely gone, without a trace.  
Perhaps she was being silly, she nodded to herself and laid her brush down in her lap, tying her hair back with a quick braid. No point in getting Homesick now, Stefen had said that it was taken care of, and she had no reason not to think that. They were at Home and she was here, that was all there was to it.  
"That doesn't mean I have to like it, though," she frowned bitterly and turned from the window, picking the brush from her lap and tossing it onto a table. She stared blankly at the wall a moment, then withdrew a notebook, just a small pad she had found earlier, and began to write.  
Just in case, just in case, she told herself. Just in case the Companions ever found her and Tanja out, she was not going to lose all she held dear for the past 17 years simply because of logical reasoning.


	9. Good Morning, Haven.

**Chapter 9: Good Morning, Haven.**

Sophi's eyes creaked open at the sound of a bell tolling. A bell? She sat up and look around, panic stricken, at least for a moment or two before her memory came back. Pen and notebook still in hand, she stood, her back cracking with a loud snap. She winced and set the pen and paper down on the same small table as her brush.  
She found a stack of Grays at the foot of her bed, she sighed and took a pair of Grays before walking down towards the bathhouse.  
A light tap on Tanja's door was met by a sort of yawn. It didn't look like she was the only one who had a long night.  
"Ye-es?" A drowsy voice met her tapping. "Who is it?"  
"Housekeeping. You want mint for pillow?" Sophi grinned, speaking in her best high-pitched Spanish-lady voice.  
"What?!" A slight sound of sheets falling and light footsteps.  
"Housekeeping. You want towel?" Sophi suppressed a chuckle as the door flung open, Tanja looking down at her with an odd look.  
"Eh...no." She shook her head and rubbed an eye. "Morning already? Ugh."  
"Well, think of it this way," Sophi gave a thoughtful look. "Three years of training. We had two of high school, but this is stuff we can actually use. That and it's training for a job, so it spares us college time and time searching for a job. Language classes will be very helpful with all the Hardonian refugees and the traveling that I at least intend to do. History is obvious, but religion can help us with our story and weapon's training should be fun," she paused, "Eh...well interesting at least. Plus we get gift training! That and it's rushed training at that, with Ancar on the rampage," she reminded her pointedly.  
Tanja sighed and nodded, taking a pair of Grays from the foot of her own bed. "Sheila said she'd meet us in the mess hall, right?" She asked wearily.  
"That's right. If we can find our way, that is." Sophi added bitterly as she looked around the hall.  
"Oh, it's not that confusing around here, in the Collegium," Tanja started down the hall. "Upstairs is the library, down are the classrooms, outside our windows are the gardens. Second floor are the boys' and girls' separate dorms on either side of the cafeteria. And here," she flung open a door, hot steam and faint splashing heard. "Is the washroom. See? Simple."  
"Oh sure, just upstage me why don't you!" Sophi grinned and stepped in before her, nudging her with her elbow as she passed. Tanja gave a smug smile and nodded.  
"I think I will, thank you," then followed.  
By the time they both washed and changed, Sophi was simply starving, her stomach wanting to wrap itself around her backbone. She waited somewhat patiently for Tanja to mutter about her makeup and toss her hair up in a ponytail. All the while, looking very smug over the fact she never wore makeup and always ran a brush through her hair just so she'd not scare people away. She cared very little about what she looked like, and her old wardrobe, thrown together at the last minute, composed of three pairs of jeans with all the cuffs worn to threads and the same five worn, long sleeved s hirts over and over again, proved that point.  
"Food would be good, Tanja," she prompted carefully.  
"Yes, I suppose you would want to eat," Tanja rolled her eyes and scoffed, grinning a little as she finally left the room, Sophi following on her heals.  
"What was that supposed to mean?" Sophi quirked a brow and smirked.  
"Oh, nothing," Tanja stated plainly. "I wonder how many dirty looks I can persuade from the head cook today." A small chuckle came from Tanja as she changed the subject. Sophi shrugged and let it slide.  
"We'll just have to find out, won't we? I'll help, even" She ran a hand through her long "bangs" once before parting them on either side of her face.   
She had hoped to get a moment with Ezra this morning, but after breakfast would come chores, then the normal classes, then they had to meet with their gift teacher to see what gifts they had. Apparently, it had been a busy month, for there were three others who rode in on Companions this past two weeks besides Tanja and herself.  
Yes, but are they Outworlders? I don't think so. A small smile turned the corners of her lips. Of course, there was no way to be sure of it. Vanyel hadn't told them if they had been the only ones. How likely was it that there were other Outworlders? She didn't think it was common, but then again, she didn't think any of this was possible half a month ago.  
"You're quiet," Tanja stated as they rounded a sort of corner and walked toward the mess hall.  
"Just thinking. You know, about things." She shrugged half-heartily and went up to the door, pausing. "I was thinking," she continued, turning to Tanja. "How many of us do you think there are?"  
Tanja looked mildly surprised and paused, thinking to herself. "I honestly don't know," she moved past Sophi and into the cafeteria. "Haven't really thought about it to be completely honest."  
"Huh," Sophi followed her quietly, looking around for a clear spot to sit herself and Tanja. Apparently most everyone had decided that it was time to eat, conversations flung themselves at her as she dodged a wild gesture here, a stray tossed piece of bread there. It was comfortable though, nobody was crammed into a place or having anything less than a cheerful conversation. It all had a nice feel to it.  
"It could be possible, I'd imagine," Tanja spoke up after a moment, supposedly a moment of thought. "I mean, Van isn't as weak as he pretends to be. He could transport more Outworlders if he wanted, I'm sure." She sat down at a table more than half empty.  
"You're right, but the question is, presuming he did open a g-g-g," Sophi growled, "Well, you know, then how did he know we would come through? Has he tried before and we didn't take the bait? And furthermore, I thought they could only do that when connecting two places they know of." She nibbled thoughtfully on a fingernail, or what little remained of her fingernails.  
Her partner only shook her head and shrugged. "You sound like I'm the all-knowing one here! I'm just as much in the dark as you are." She finished dully, glancing about for some breakfast. "But, we have a long day ahead of us, so let's eat and go check out our classes."  
Sophi nodded carefully and took up a bowl of what looked to be some spiced porridge, or some such. It didn't matter much, she only rarely realized she was eating as she thought to herself about all of this. Technicalities are such a pain in the arse, and they bother me until I find them out. She thought in silence, glumly until she looked down and saw her bowl was empty.  
It was unfortunate that she didn't taste it, it smelled quite sweet and almost like cinnamon. How she loved cinnamon, but Tanja rose up from the table as she began to think of cinnamon applesauce and cinnamon and raisin bagels. All the better, they had other things to think of that old Home favorites.  
She stood carefully, looking about once to realize that while people were still around, the majority had left. As long as we're not horribly late, it's quite alright with me, she thought to herself as she followed after Tanja.  
"You two!" Shouted a voice behind them, followed by rushed footsteps. "Don't tell me you forgot about me already," Sheila strolled up next to Tanja, smiling as she fell in pace with them.  
"How could we? We'd get lost in no time if you weren't with us," Sophi readily returned the smile. "Well, I would at least." She added with a sidelong glance to Tanja, who gave her a snide look, but kept her mouth closed.  
Sheila chuckled and nodded. "Well, don't I feel needed then!" She beamed and made her way through the door and into the halls where she made her way to the stairs leading to the classes.  
"Oh, by the way, the gift instructor told me to tell you that she can't see you today. They're having problems with someone's training and they need her expertise. She'll come and tell you when she can see you again." Sheila added on before Sophi stopped paying attention.  
Sheila chatted with Tanja, who seemed like she could be warming up to her a bit. Sophi made a point to lag slightly, watching the walls and other people absently as she wandered through her thoughts on the little ordeal so far.  
::You're letting this get to you too easily.:: Tanja's voice spoke out of the blue. ::I can almost feel you thinking about it so hard.::  
Sophi smiled to a wall and sighed. ::I can't help but to wonder if it was a good thing to mention we were Outworlders in Anaya and Ezra's presence.::  
She could almost feel Tanja blink in surprise. ::When did we mention that? I don't remember it.::  
::When I told you I wouldn't respect you any more and you said I was jealous. Remember now?:: She cast a look to Tanja when she looked back to her.  
::Yes, I do.:: an audible sigh was 'heard'. ::Well, Iftel is kind of like a different world since it's to isolated, can we pull that off?::  
Sophi bit her lip and ran her fingertips along the wooden handrail. ::It's close, but it should work, I'd suppose. Thank goodness you're here to think of all of these excuses!:: She grinned as they stepped into the student halls, 'hearing' another chuckle from Tanja.  
Sheila quickly shoo-ed them into a room of uncertain young folks, their yearmates it seemed, and said she would return later on.


	10. Two Herald-Mages!?

**Chapter 10: Two Herald-Mages!?**

Tanja and herself lagged a bit at the door a bit, glancing around the room. Three young boys were huddled together around an attractive blonde, who was enjoying it so much she simply glowed.  
The trio around her looked to be from the south, dark hair and eyes with a more strong, stocky build. They seemed to range from 14 to maybe 18, and were very, very interested in this girl.  
Sophi made a face and looked away from the fair over to the other side of the room. A girl around maybe 15 sat at a table, reading, her dark wavy hair pulled into a ponytail. Two other boys sat at a table behind her, talking to each other. Nothing out of the ordinary there.  
She sighed and looked back over to the other side of the room, into a corner with scant light. A figure sat there as well--or rather leaned, but thanks to the light, or lack thereof, there was no particulars that could be seen as far as she was concerned.  
Tanja nudged her and pointed over to a table. Sophi nodded and followed in her wake, taking the seat closest to the darkened corner.  
A few more people entered, surprisingly enough, Tavan was one of them. She waved to them and immediately sat down with the blonde, who was still surrounded by the trio.  
"Wow, a Haven yuppie," Sophi whispered to Tanja as she gave Tavan a strained smile and wave.  
"There's always one," Tanja respond, not bothering to smile as she gave a sort of half-wave to Tavan.  
They both shook their head lowly as Tavan looked away, giggling at something the taller of the trio has said.  
"Alright all of you, take your seats," A new voice announced in the back of the room, and with that, a new figure. Sophi turned in her seat as Tanja looked over her shoulder at the speaker.  
About Tanja's size, a man in his middle 30's walked to the front of the room in long strides. Long, black hair was tied into a tidy tail at his neck and streamed behind him in a way that reminded Sophi of Ezra's rail. He turned to face the room, setting a hand on the front table as he did so, watching as the trio and the blonde took their seats, his eagle-like features and eyes watching closely. Sophi doubted that much ever got past this man without him knowing about it.  
"That means you as well, Ethan." As he spoke again, he looked to the back of the room, to the odd figure in the corner.  
Sophi turned her full attention to the back of the room as the figure pushed off the wall and took a seat at a table beside them without a single word.  
This lad of about 17, was just short of Tanja's height with an agile figure and was it just her, or did he have white hair?! Yes, hair the color of corn silk hung over his eyes, long bangs and shorter in the back. White hair and, as he looked over at them sidewise, Sophi could see he had gray eyes as well.  
He leaned back in his seat and began fiddling with a small knife, blade no longer than two inches at the most.  
It then clicked that that was what he was best suited to. He had the quick and agile figure of a cat and the way he played absently with the knife proved that he was used to handling it. His background suited something of a thief or assassin. He reminded her of Skif in that manner.  
She jumped as Tanja nudged her, slowly standing up as the man at the front of the room introduced them both. Sophi managed to get to her feet before looking too disoriented as he said her name. She looked around to each of the people in the room and each of them stared back as the fellow in the front of the room introduced each of them.  
The trio was Dez, Gisle and Baructt, who were all still stealing glances over at Audry, the blonde. The girl with the book was Isa, or so she thought, Isa didn't really look up from her book to nod or give any sign to who she was. A half dozen other names and faces and they sat down again, with much thanks involved in Sophi's case.  
"Alright, with that out of the way, it's time to get down to work." The front man said, rubbing his hands together.  
* * *  
Sophi set down her stick of graphite and rubbed her eyes.  
Huddled over a couple history books. "We've been here around what, two months now? And the stuff just keeps piling up! It never ceases!"  
"History isn't much better, I'll warn you," she replied, looking to her sidewise.  
"What is there to say? Guy escapes from the Empire, creates kingdom, the selfish bastard names it after himself then gets a Companion, the end!" Sophi groaned and leaned back until her back popped, then sighed. Tanja gave a sort of chuckle and nodded.  
"Yea, I know. You can hardly write one book on that alone, not to mention what all of these say about it."  
Sophi nodded absently and looked out the window in her room, which was looking more and more like home, if not only in the respect that it was very disorganized and had things piled everywhere you looked.  
"Gods, what a nice day," she pushed away from her desk and stood to look down into the gardens.  
She heard Tanja's furious scribbling returning as she set her hand against the window pane. Her deep brown eyes focused on two figures in the midst of the gardens, both sitting under a large decorative tree, which was now covered in wilting apple blossoms.  
Both were obviously female, one with short, reddish-brown curls that could only be tamed with a scissors edge. The other, and younger, with dark hair as well and in Grays while the other was in full Whites. They seemed typical enough, except one thing caught Sophi's eye, a glimmering from the trainee's brow. A circlet surrounded her head, Sophi finally put together. Elspeth and Talia, they both looked like nothing more than distant figures in streaks of gray and white, knotted bits of dark colors for hair and the glimmer from Elspeth.  
Sophi frowned a little and looked closer, squinting her eyes. A glimmer that bright shouldn't be coming from a little bitsy circlet that far away like that. Her brows knitted as she strained to get a better look at Elspeth. Was she, shining? Yes, it seemed to her that around Elspeth there was a halo of light that surrounded her, illuminating her slightly.  
"I must be sleepy, I think Elspeth down there is glowing," She reported to Tanja, but speaking at the window.  
"Hmm?" Tanja pushed from the desk and stood beside her, looking down into the gardens. "Oh, she is," she responded plainly, as if she was stating facts from Valdemar's history records.  
"So you see it too, eh?" She glanced to Tanja, who nodded plainly. "And I'm not crazy?" Tanja shook her head. "Perfectly sane..." Sophi crossed her arms, looking to her skeptically as Tanja gave her another calm nod.  
"Come on, it's not that big of a surprise, I mean she is the first Herald-Mage. You and I must just be picking up on it somehow. Besides," she shrugged as she walked away, "you sometimes shimmer, too." She sat down and leaned over her books again.  
Sophi's mouth fell open, her eyes went wide and she felt her hands go hot. "What!?" She screeched at Tanja, rushing to her side.  
Her companion jumped and looked at her, giving her an exasperated sigh. "Jeez, no big deal, you shimmer a little, probably from your gifts. No need to make me lose all hearing on one ear." She rubbed one ear, glowering at her friend.  
"B-but I can't shimmer! You're going to be the Herald-Mage!" She blurted out in defense.  
It was Tanja's turn to stare, then she shook her head as she held her hands up.  
"Whoa now, what's this about being a Herald-Mage? All I said was that you shimmer and you come up with me being a Herald-Mage."  
Sophi shook her head and spun around in place once before grabbing the seat and spinning it around to face Tanja. She sat down and leaned in closely, whispering quietly to her friend.  
"Alright, well I was teasing Ezra about the gray mare that one day we reached Haven. I said 'Looks somebody has an admirer', jokingly, you know? Well, he gets all nervous and says to me 'Anaya?' I kinda laughed and told him he sounded hopeful, but he said the oddest thing." Sophi paused and shook her head, sitting back.  
"First tell me this: Do all Companions keep dibs on each other?" She decided to ask first. Tanja paused a moment to think.  
"I believe so, yes. What's that have to do--,"  
"And do Anaya and Ezra look full grown?" Sophi interrupted, gripping her hands as she leaned forward again, half afraid of what she might say.  
"Yes! But why does that--,"  
"Just listen," Sophi wetted her lips as Tanja shut her mouth and leaned back. "OK, Ezra then scoffed and told me it was stupid and that he 'hasn't known her that long'." She rose her hands to signify the quote, then stopped a moment to let that all sink in. "How's that possible unless one of them is Grove-born? Meaning the Chosen is something significant! That means a Herald-Mage! Anaya's your Companion, meaning you're going to be a Herald-Mage!" Sophi thrust a finger into Tanja's shoulder.  
Tanja swallowed, looking quite pale and disturbed as she let this all roll around in her mind.  
"Wait, wait," she held up a hand, "Who's to say you aren't the Herald-Mage?" She pointed "Either one could be Grove-born, Ezra too. Besides, even if they were both Grove-born, we are Outworlders. They might be here because of that." She sat back, looking almost completely back to normal.  
Sophi opened her mouth, then shut it again, rubbing the back of her neck.   
"You have a point. There's only one way to find out, then," she dropped an arm over the back of her chair.  
"And how's that, oh-plotting-one?" Tanja gave her a skeptical look.  
Sophi grinned and wrote on a sheet of paper, then turned it to show Tanja. It read:   
  
_ Ask Ezra and Anaya if they're  
__Grove-Born._  
Tanja laughed as she read that, shaking her head in protest.  
"Never work! They could just erase our memories afterwards."  
"That's what the paper is for! To remind us if they do. That way, if they do, we have this, and this." Sophi held up her notepad and put the new note in it's pages.  
"I've written every one of my theories on why we're here, everything we know about Companions, and briefly about Elspeth and the Vales and all of that. If they erase our memories, we'll have it still."  
Tanja raised her brows and nodded in a surprised, if not impressed sort of way.  
"Good idea. We'll go ask them tonight after Alberich kicks us around a while," she smiled a little and nodded again, looking to the time-candle in the far corner of Sophi's room. "We have a candlemark left so let's just get what we can done. I'm going to write my theories and all of that down in your notebook here, and you think of things to ask, remember, they can't lie mind-to-mind but they can warp things to fit them, so be specific." She pointed her glass pen at her in reminder, accentuating her last words.  
"Sounds like a plan, then." Sophi stood and dragged her chair with her foot over to the window to lounge in the remaining sunlight. She heard another sheet of paper being picked out and Tanja's writing pick up again.


End file.
